Asiad silver holds a special place, says archer Surekha

For someone who also won six World Cup medals, Andhra Pradesh's V. Jyothi Surekha was quite pleased with her own performance even as she tried to back her teammates who faltered under pressure in the final.

Indian archer V. Jyothi Surekha competes in the women's compound team final event at the Asian Games.

Vennam Jyothi Surekha was bang on target — scoring an incredible 80/80 — even as the Indian team comprising Madhumita Kumari, Muskan Kirar besides herself — settled for silver in the compound archery event for women at the Asian Games on Tuesday.

For the record, India lost to Korea 228-231 in the final.

And, not surprisingly, Surekha, the most experienced of the trio, is disappointed at missing the gold having come so close to winning it in the Asiad.

Read: Silver for both men’s and women’s teams in compound archery

“It was a mixed feeling, honestly. Glad that I got my first Asiad silver (she was a member of the team which clinched bronze in the last edition). But, again, would have been great if only we had won the gold,” Surekha told Sportstar from Jakarta.

“Yes, one of my dreams to win an Asiad gold remains unfulfilled,” she added.

“I dedicate this silver to all the coaches, my family members, friends and everyone who supported me right through my career,” were Surekha’s parting comments before soaking in the joy of bagging a highly creditable silver.

V. Jyothi Surekha with her silver medal.

 

For someone who also won six World Cup medals, Surekha was quite pleased with her own performance even as she tried to back her teammates who faltered under pressure in the final.

“I believe they tried their best under the given circumstances. I have no issues. It has been great making it to the final itself. It is never easy to compete in the final of such a prestigious event. Yes, there is very bright future for Indian archery as most of us are very young and have a long way to go,” the 22-year-old Surekha said.

As Day 10 progressed at the Asian Games

“There cannot be a comparison with the World Cup silver I won last month. But, given the fact that we the World Cups almost every year and that Asiad comes once in four years, this silver has a special place for sure for all of us,” she said.

Interestingly, Surekha doesn’t want to be called as a ‘senior’ in the team for she feels that would demean her teammates whom she rated to be gifted and good enough to make it really big in the days to come. “We are improving with every tournament and hope to better our performances,” she said.

“Well, the mood before the final was just to stay focussed and give our best. I am sure we did, though we missed the gold,” Surekha said.